Survive the first month at work
Establish yourself as a professional and as a colleague
Once you start working at a new job, you will meet new people, new environment and new responsibilities. You will have to understand your role in a new organisation, build relationships with colleagues and executives, you will have to learn to complete tasks. It is normal to feel stressed about starting a job in a new organisation.
In order to adapt to the organisation as soon as possible and to establish yourself in a new job, prepare for a successful start, learn what you should pay the most attention to during the first month.
Become part of a team
- Follow the dress code
If you want to make a good first impression, take care of a neat appearance, dress as required by the organisation rules. Learn what the dress code is and follow it from the first day of work. - Make sure you gain trust from people around you
In the first few days, punctuality is particularly important. Arrive at work on time, follow set deadlines and agreements, attend meetings. - Prepare to introduce yourself
In the first few days, you will have to introduce yourself more than once 鈥� to executives as well as team members. When introducing yourself, emphasize education that is relevant to the job, professional experience, what position you will fill in. Be positive and answer questions about yourself. Give short answers, do not expand too much, and do not try to focus everyone鈥檚 attention on yourself at all costs. - Get to know your colleagues
Colleagues are an important source of support, information and knowledge. If you have not been introduced to all members of the team, take the initiative yourself. Create connections, get to know colleagues from other departments, find out what their roles at work are. Being close to your colleagues, watching closely how they work and collaborate, will give you a better understanding of who is who in this organisation. You will also gain valuable insights about work tasks and how to accomplish them. - Build strong relationships
Do not stand aside when the team decides to do something together. Join them for a lunch, go for a walk during the break and participate in team-building events. Even if you are not interested in fishing, join co-workers 鈥� you will probably find common ground not just on fish.
Collect information
- Collect information about the organisation
In the first few days learn the company's history, its values, structure, goals, plans and operational guidelines. Learn about the internal order (e. g., working hours, control, incentive systems, whom to refer to if you have questions), understand what the communication rules are, the traditions and celebrations. - Collect information about the job
From the first day, start to get acquainted with your work tasks, responsibilities and functions. Have a look at the job description and (or) instructions, work performance requirements, communication schemes, rules for using work tools and equipment.
Settle in as a professional
- Set realistic goals
Once you start working at a new job, find out what is expected of you. Thinking about how to exceed expectations, how you should act and what you should do to succeed now and in the future. The best way to understand what is expected of you and what you should focus on is to discuss these questions with your direct manager and set up to 2鈥�3 main goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) and their accomplishment plan. - Ask for feedback
Arrange regular meetings with your boss and discuss whether you are meeting the set goals, whether there is a need to review them, what uncertainties you came up with, how you could do the job better. Create a close professional relationship with your executive. Do not be afraid to tell if you are facing any difficulties and ask for help. - Study at your workplace
During the first month you will have to learn a lot. Considering the set goals and the received feedback 鈥� set learning priorities. If you have not been assigned an official mentor, ask a co-worker you trust to become one for you. Take time every day to think about your experience, how you are feeling, what you succeeded and failed at and decide what new or additional steps to take next. - Ask questions
Ask any questions that occur in the first few days. Once you start working, you will have many questions, write them down and ask them at the right time. If the information is not clear, clarify everything so you understand it more clearly. If there is too little information, find out what is missing. If there is too much information, ask your boss to highlight the most important points. The beginning of work is the best time to be curious. - Calmly accept your mistakes
Do not be afraid to act, do not give up once you face any obstacles. Remember, it is better to try, fail and learn from your mistakes than to immediately give up on tasks that you are not yet able to do. More important is how you are going to react to your mistakes 鈥� show that you care, understand what went wrong and put effort into correcting them. - Show initiative
Once you get familiar with the tasks, ask to try out new activities. Do not wait for opportunities, but rather seek them. Understand the needs of your team and help them where you can. Take interest in the processes of organisation, think about new ideas and introduce them to your leader or colleagues.
Overcome difficult situations
How to set the right goals?
It will be easier to establish yourself in the organisation, if you set goals and strive for them. A goal could be set by your superior or you can set it yourself. The chances to reach the goal increase if it is formed by SMART principles (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound).
To accomplish your goal, GROW model could be helpful, which consists of 4 steps:
- setting goals;
- reality check (barriers and support that could impact the achievement of the goal);
- reviewing options on how to complete a task / achieve a goal;
- way forward: the specific action plan (steps, that are going to help achieve the goals).
If you set a goal and constantly keep an eye on how well you are achieving it, what activities you are taking and what alternatives are available, the chances of achieving that goal will be higher.
During the probationary period, a new employee can have up to 2鈥�3 main goals, and their implementation should be discussed at the end of this period. If any of the goals are not achieved, you and your executive should discuss the causes why this happened. It could turn out that you lack competence, certain tools or information. Usually, at the end of the conversation, the goals for the next period are set (usually up to one year).
How to express discontent?
At a new job, most probably, you will not be able to avoid things that are unacceptable to you, you will face others' improper behaviour. If you stay silent about it, this can mean that you tolerate such behaviour. On the other hand, talking about it feels like provoking a conflict. What should you do then? There is a solution. Here are the main rules to express yourself:
- describe the behaviour of another person that bothers you;
- explain how specifically (and not emotionally) their behaviour prevents you from reaching your goals;
- express your feelings that occurred because of someone鈥檚 behaviour;
- name what changes you expect to see in the other person's behaviour.
Example: during work time, your colleague talks a lot to others about issues not related to work. As a result, you have to complete not only your assignments but also your colleague's. You will avoid conflict if you start your speech like that: 鈥淚 see that you spend a lot of time talking about issues that are not related to work. Because of that you do not manage to complete your assigned work on time, and I have to help you. I feel hurt by such a behaviour. I would appreciate if you could discuss the issues insignificant to work during the breaks or after work.鈥�
Example: your colleague often borrows your calculator without your notice and then forgets to put it back. You find out about it just when you need to do some work urgently. Your irritation should be expressed in this way: "I see that you borrowed my calculator again and you did not put it back. While looking for it, I just wasted about 10 minutes. Now I have to rush with my report and I am afraid I will make mistakes. I would appreciate if you would purchase a calculator of your own."
Why do the described ways of expressing unpleasant information bring you the desired result?
- First of all, while talking about the things you do not like, you rely on indisputable facts.
- More importantly 鈥� you express your own emotions and highlight how you feel regarding the unpleasant behaviour of your colleague. When you reveal your emotions, you awaken the empathy of another person. Think how the person, that is just told that someone is feeling bad because of his actions, feels.
- Finally, criticism is not only about blame 鈥� at the end of your speech you offer a solution and the person you talk to does not need to think how to solve this unpleasant situation.
Cannot establish good relationships with colleagues
Good relationships with your colleagues are important if you want to settle into an organisation. Emotional and moral support helps to reduce anxiety, fear or doubts. However, sometimes your efforts to build friendly relationships or make others like you can be perceived in a wrong way. Here are a few common mistakes:
Exaggerated effort. It might look like an employee who stays at work till midnight should be appreciated, but in reality, they are not. If you are always staying after work, employer might start thinking that you simply cannot complete your tasks during the daytime. The employees are usually valued for their productivity and not for the number of hours they spend doing the work. If you are busy all day with insignificant stuff and then you try to make up for the lost time, your career might be put at risk. Stay at work after working hours only if you are asked by your manager or if it is common to do so for the whole team.
Helpfulness. You try to help everyone and, in the meantime, expect the same from them. Bringing coffee to a colleague who works longer in the company than you, constantly offering your help, taking care of others when you are not asked to do so. Unfortunately, often such behaviour can be interpreted as a desire for promotion at work or desperation to find friends to get what you want, in the end. You should help others, if you are asked for a favour and if you can help. Although, you should only offer your help to those who actually need it. There are other ways to make friends.
First 鈥� work, then 鈥� personal life. Colleagues are inviting you for a cup of coffee, but you always make excuses that you have urgent work to do? Of course, in some companies the working time is strictly regulated and talking to colleagues about personal life is unacceptable. Yet most organisations do not have such strict rules. Usually, people are interested not only in work-related issues, but also in building personal relationships. Therefore, if you constantly refuse a cup of coffee and avoid informal conversations, you might quickly become an outcast. Besides, a talk with colleagues or friends might spur more original ideas than spending the entire day in front of a computer.
Talkativeness. You should know what to say and when to say it. You might enter a team that likes to discuss everything down to detail. Do not ever get involved in gossip, and be conscious of what you tell about yourself. If you are dragged into a discussion about one of the team members, try to listen more and talk less. If they insist on your opinion about a certain person, it is better to try to avoid the question and tell that you know them too little to decide anything. Keep in mind that any irresponsible word towards your colleague, sooner or later will reach them. Try to imagine your reaction if such information was spread about you. On the other hand, what should you do if you are asked too many questions? Give short answers, do not expand too much. If someone is trying hard to find out the details of your personal life, especially unpleasant ones, firmly answer that you do not want to discuss it.
How to solve conflicts?
Conflicts are an inseparable part of any organisation. Sooner or later, you will have to solve disagreements or participate in tense situations with clients, your manager or colleagues. Conflicts can cause strong, unpleasant experiences.
Most people in tense situations believe, that if it was not for the other person's malicious behaviour, the conflict would not exist at all. But what does the opponent think? They think exactly the same. In our minds we tend to impose a certain behaviour on others. Before going into the conflict, think how important it is for you to save personal or professional relationships with the other party and what you are willing to sacrifice for that.
If you foresee an upcoming conflict, you can use the time to prepare for it. Anger usually has visible signs: someone slamming the door, an angry walk, mean expression, holding fists, raised tone. If you notice any of those signs, stop for a moment. It is advised to know how to react so the conflict would not escalate. You can stop a conflict from developing if you use some techniques:
1. Agree with what is being said
Agreeing with what is being said to you is a key tool for solving potential conflict situations. You can agree with everything ("I completely agree with you"), partly ("I agree that in some cases we have trouble") or leave your opponent a right to have an opinion ("you have a right to think like that"). This is always more effective than immediately saying no.
2. Criticize yourself rather than wait for others to do so
This technique can be used at work or with family, in cases when conflicts repeat, when threats and disagreements take the same form and the behaviour of the opponent is predictable. All you have to do is say everything your opponent was going to say and their argument will lose its power.
Example: Sometimes during an afternoon shift, your colleague does not clean their workspace before leaving home. For that reason, the person who works in the same place, the next morning gets irritated by extra work. When the situation repeated a few times, the person working in the morning shift complained: "When will this end? I do not know how to talk to you, so you would clean up. You leave everything like it was a restaurant and rush to play bowling with your friends. In the morning I am the one who tidies everything up because it is impossible to work otherwise. I will need to ask the manager to transfer me to another location." Since this situation repeats, the person who works the afternoon shift should probably say with guilt in his voice: "My friend, I am surprised how much patience you have. If you behaved as I do, I would have asked to be transferred to another working place a long time ago. Last week I forgot to clean up my workspace. Yesterday I left everything in a mess and ran out to play bowling with my friends... I promised not to do so, but I did it again."
Even though the conflicts could be easily mitigated in a work environment, almost nobody does it. In fact, only a few would dare to go to a superior and tell them: "I came here to get punished. Can you imagine what I have done鈥�" But the actions that are least expected from you (in this case 鈥� the confession that you did something wrong) are the most effective key to solving unpleasant situations.
3. Not to give in to the temptation to educate others
Often when we see inappropriate behaviour, we get a desire to parent others ("I will not stand this!", "How many times can I repeat myself?", "Is it so difficult to understand?", "You have to...", "You should be ashamed!", etc.). It is worth remembering that it is impossible to educate an adult. There is just one person you can re-educate 鈥� yourself. If you want to reach a constructive solution and not provoke the conflict, control your own behaviour.
4. Not to give up after a conflict
If the conflict still escalates, all possible efforts should be put to relieve the tension that remains after opponents walk away. It is important because in a conflict both 鈥� the one who "won" and the one who had to obey 鈥� suffer. Many of those involved in the conflict are later plagued by their conscience because they said so many things which they should not have. Every new conflict can escalate from the slightest reason, and can be more stormy, with more complicated consequences. If the conflicting parties are no longer keeping in touch after the conflict, it might be a good idea to write a letter or a message. A letter can be read several times and each time in a different psychological state. There is a great chance that sooner or later such a written note will cause the desired response 鈥� forgiveness or reconciliation.